USA tipping culture

[Telstra]

Guests are Guests at Wedding receptions. If the people getting married/coupled/unionized make their guests pay, it is not a wedding reception. That's called dinner.

However, yes, the person(s) PAYING for the wedding reception, particularly if it is a sit-down meal are expected to tip the facility. In most cases it is such a large amount a 20% gratuity is simply added to the bill.

how can people make their guests pay?
over here, it is not compulsory but most guests give presents or money to the couple.

 

[Yooper]

Guests are Guests at Wedding receptions. If the people getting married/coupled/unionized make their guests pay, it is not a wedding reception. That's called dinner.

However, yes, the person(s) PAYING for the wedding reception, particularly if it is a sit-down meal are expected to tip the facility. In most cases it is such a large amount a 20% gratuity is simply added to the bill.

how can people make their guests pay?
over here, it is not compulsory but most guests give presents or money to the couple.

Sorry to quibble, but I believe you misread my post.

IF the people...make their guests pay it is not a wedding reception. That's called dinner.

 

[Telstra]

Sorry to quibble, but I believe you misread my post.

IF the people...make their guests pay it is not a wedding reception. That's called dinner.

ok cool. its about tipping and i thought at the reception there are plenty of waiters, so i was wondering how are they going to be tipped, and i think you answered it by "gratuity thing".

So say a wedding reception costs $25000 plus 20% tip = $30 000.
What if the family wasn't happy with the quality and service ? reduce tip or no tip.

 

[Yooper]

ok cool. its about tipping and i thought at the reception there are plenty of waiters, so i was wondering how are they going to be tipped, and i think you answered it by "gratuity thing".

So say a wedding reception costs $25000 plus 20% tip = $30 000.
What if the family wasn't happy with the quality and service ? reduce tip or no tip.

YAY! WE R KOOL

Thanks for not being upset by my response.

You are EXACTLY correct about the other part, too.

I was very involved with a wedding (good friends of mine were Parents of the Bride) just a couple of years ago and the math you present is EXACTLY what happened. Bill for dinner was $25000, tip ('gratuity') was $5000 and was added on to the bill. The dinner WAS great so they had no problem with the bill.

If the family is not happy with the quality/service, what USUALLY happens is the family speaks privately with the venue manager or owner and renegotiates the price a few days later. If that is unsuccessful, then it goes to court. Or Judge Judy.

 

[Swellegant]

Telstra...

1) Tipping doesn't make any more or less sense than speaking English. But I'm not learning Esperanto or whatever just because someone else thinks English doesn't make sense. Nor am I going to start driving on the left side of the road.

Nor, importantly, am I going to go to Britain and drive on the right side of the road; nor am I going to go to India and demand a big slab of beef ribs.

Customs are customs, and unless someone is being hurt by them (and I don't consider having to cough up a fraction more cash being hurt; and while I do believe that waitstaff are being hurt, it's the labor laws hurting them rather than the custom of tipping), there's no reason to change them.

2) Cater waiters are tipped by the host, just as if in a restaurant (the one who pays the bill leaves the tip). The bartender is usually tipped by the guests, even if it's open bar, but by the host, too. The band leader or the dj should be tipped as well. And if you can afford $25k for just the catering, an extra five grand isn't going to hurt you that much... you have to take that sort of thing into account when you're budgeting.

3) Not all restaurants take advantage of the "direct wage" loophole in the labor laws... that mostly occurs in small diners and huge chains. Cheap restaurants, if you will. In a lot of the restaurants I patronize, the waitstaff make more than I do. And I still tip them.

4) Cheap-ass motherfuckers piss me off. I'm sure you're merely curious about the custom, Telstra (though I wonder, were you planning on hosting a large wedding reception?), but a lot of the people posting against the practice of tipping simply resent having to cough up one penny more than is printed on the menu. I say if such persons are so concerned about costs, they should stay home and cook for themselves.

I mean, look at all the various sales and service taxes we pay... hotel tax, airport use tax, smog tax... if you walk out of any place having paid only the printed price and nothing else, you've managed a minor miracle. So what's a few bucks more?

 

[ixthrock]

I had a server in a resturaunt short me my change, and when I brought it to her attention, she made some comment like "Oh weren't you going to leave me a tip anyway". EXCUSE ME, NO I am still the person who decides whether or not the service deserves a tip. She didn't get a tip, and not just because she pulled that stunt, but because the service was bad. She got one cent.

When I was 12, waiting table's in my dad's restaurant, the response to servers discussing tips with customers was immediate termination. You do NOT discuss tips in the dining room, and it's bad form to discuss them in the back with the other servers. Discussing it with patrons got you fired on the spot.

The penny is actually a sign of excellent service, according to old diner tradition, if left with an appropriate number of bills. Two pennies and a smaller number of bills for mediocre service, and three pennies only for awful service.

 

[belamy]

Once I was in France and couldn't remember if the tips were included (they were), so I tipped them when I was already paying that One place was so nice that they sat down with my dad and myself and translated the whole menu for us. My French is so-so and I could get half of a meal translated but not know what the other half was. Needless to say I gave them like a 35-40% 'tip' because of how nice and helpful they were, so they really got a lot of money from us. It was well worth it though because of how helpful they were and it was the best meal I had while I was in Europe. I still actually have their business card so when I go back I can go the that resturant (it was that good). Hopefully they will still be there whenever I do go back.

That was not Paris, was it?

 

[LilBit]

Oh, not to worry, I can easily afford to eat at restaurants with waiter service by simply not wasting my money on tipping the waiters for that which they are paid to do anyway.

No, they're NOT paid. Most servers at chain restaurants and diners (at least where I used to work) get $0 paychecks because the measly hourly wage is completely eaten up by taxes (and benefits, if they're offered). When I was bartending, the only money I earned was what was left on the bar. If I got stiffed, then I was literally working for free.

 

[Telstra]

Telstra...

1) Tipping doesn't make any more or less sense than speaking English. But I'm not learning Esperanto or whatever just because someone else thinks English doesn't make sense. Nor am I going to start driving on the left side of the road.

Nor, importantly, am I going to go to Britain and drive on the right side of the road; nor am I going to go to India and demand a big slab of beef ribs.

Customs are customs, and unless someone is being hurt by them (and I don't consider having to cough up a fraction more cash being hurt; and while I do believe that waitstaff are being hurt, it's the labor laws hurting them rather than the custom of tipping), there's no reason to change them.

2) Cater waiters are tipped by the host, just as if in a restaurant (the one who pays the bill leaves the tip). The bartender is usually tipped by the guests, even if it's open bar, but by the host, too. The band leader or the dj should be tipped as well. And if you can afford $25k for just the catering, an extra five grand isn't going to hurt you that much... you have to take that sort of thing into account when you're budgeting.

3) Not all restaurants take advantage of the "direct wage" loophole in the labor laws... that mostly occurs in small diners and huge chains. Cheap restaurants, if you will. In a lot of the restaurants I patronize, the waitstaff make more than I do. And I still tip them.

4) Cheap-ass motherfuckers piss me off. I'm sure you're merely curious about the custom, Telstra (though I wonder, were you planning on hosting a large wedding reception?), but a lot of the people posting against the practice of tipping simply resent having to cough up one penny more than is printed on the menu. I say if such persons are so concerned about costs, they should stay home and cook for themselves.

I mean, look at all the various sales and service taxes we pay... hotel tax, airport use tax, smog tax... if you walk out of any place having paid only the printed price and nothing else, you've managed a minor miracle. So what's a few bucks more?

like i told NineOfClubs, its not a big deal, just chat about the culture of tipping thats all. You seems to be abit annoyed.

 

[Telstra]

When I was 12, waiting table's in my dad's restaurant, the response to servers discussing tips with customers was immediate termination. You do NOT discuss tips in the dining room, and it's bad form to discuss them in the back with the other servers. Discussing it with patrons got you fired on the spot.

The penny is actually a sign of excellent service, according to old diner tradition, if left with an appropriate number of bills. Two pennies and a smaller number of bills for mediocre service, and three pennies only for awful service.

this is funny, i can imagine a comedy series right there bargain & negotiating about tips.

 

[Beachguyj]

Don't think you are not tipping in Europe or other countries. The only difference is that they include it automatically. One guy told me that in some places they charge for everything including sugar packets.

 

[JUB]

I always tip 20%

 

[_AJ_]

Telstra...

1) Tipping doesn't make any more or less sense than speaking English. But I'm not learning Esperanto or whatever just because someone else thinks English doesn't make sense. Nor am I going to start driving on the left side of the road.

Nor, importantly, am I going to go to Britain and drive on the right side of the road; nor am I going to go to India and demand a big slab of beef ribs.

Customs are customs, and unless someone is being hurt by them (and I don't consider having to cough up a fraction more cash being hurt; and while I do believe that waitstaff are being hurt, it's the labor laws hurting them rather than the custom of tipping), there's no reason to change them.

2) Cater waiters are tipped by the host, just as if in a restaurant (the one who pays the bill leaves the tip). The bartender is usually tipped by the guests, even if it's open bar, but by the host, too. The band leader or the dj should be tipped as well. And if you can afford $25k for just the catering, an extra five grand isn't going to hurt you that much... you have to take that sort of thing into account when you're budgeting.

3) Not all restaurants take advantage of the "direct wage" loophole in the labor laws... that mostly occurs in small diners and huge chains. Cheap restaurants, if you will. In a lot of the restaurants I patronize, the waitstaff make more than I do. And I still tip them.

4) Cheap-ass motherfuckers piss me off. I'm sure you're merely curious about the custom, Telstra (though I wonder, were you planning on hosting a large wedding reception?), but a lot of the people posting against the practice of tipping simply resent having to cough up one penny more than is printed on the menu. I say if such persons are so concerned about costs, they should stay home and cook for themselves.

I mean, look at all the various sales and service taxes we pay... hotel tax, airport use tax, smog tax... if you walk out of any place having paid only the printed price and nothing else, you've managed a minor miracle. So what's a few bucks more?

thats another stupid thing here all taxes are included in the price
if a bottle of pepsi is $1.00 on the price tag you walk up to the register give them a dollar and you are on your way

Now please tell me how the way we do it is wrong

 

[Telstra]

thats another stupid thing here all taxes are included in the price
if a bottle of pepsi is $1.00 on the price tag you walk up to the register give them a dollar and you are on your way

Now please tell me how the way we do it is wrong

yeah i missed that part thanks.
If i go to a cafe and quickly grab a bottle of spring water or a coke, i would not expect to pay tips on top of that.

 

[_AJ_]

yeah i missed that part thanks.
If i go to a cafe and quickly grab a bottle of spring water or a coke, i would not expect to pay tips on top of that.

from what i read you wouldn't

 

[Alpha1851]

thats another stupid thing here all taxes are included in the price
if a bottle of pepsi is $1.00 on the price tag you walk up to the register give them a dollar and you are on your way

Now please tell me how the way we do it is wrong

It wouldn't work for us. Some folks are tax exempt (like if they're using food stamps or whatnot) and some folks aren't. Our taxes can differ from state to state and from city to city. Forcing businesses to include the tax in the original prices can make customers feel as though the business is overcharging. Especially if they can get the bottle of Coke for $1 sticker price at the Walmart in Palm City, but have to pay $1.30 sticker price for the same Coke at the Walmart in Evergreen City which is right next door. It doubt folks would realize, oh the price is higher b/c the taxes are higher here and obviously, the stores aren't keeping the tax. I think it's fab if it works for you all though.

Hmmm...has this thread turned into another, "The United States sucks b/c...."

 

[_AJ_]

It wouldn't work for us. Some folks are tax exempt (like if they're using food stamps or whatnot) and some folks aren't. Our taxes can differ from state to state and from city to city. Forcing businesses to include the tax in the original prices can make customers feel as though the business is overcharging. Especially if they can get the bottle of Coke for $1 sticker price at the Walmart in Palm City, but have to pay $1.30 sticker price for the same Coke at the Walmart in Evergreen City which is right next door. It doubt folks would realize, oh the price is higher b/c the taxes are higher here and obviously, the stores aren't keeping the tax. I think it's fab if it works for you all though.

Hmmm...has this thread turned into another, "The United States sucks b/c...."

umm well not everything here is taxed the same fresh food has no gst

and specials and vouchers and whatever are scanned at the counter and that amount is subtracted from the total

and they would have to pay more anyway so how is lying about it better for the consumer?

i though since taxes are so varied it would be better to include them so you know what you are paying rater than trying to keep track of all the differances

and no it hasnt the person who brought this up was From the US and i was just replying to it although i love the victims mentality though

 

[Telstra]

It wouldn't work for us. Some folks are tax exempt (like if they're using food stamps or whatnot) and some folks aren't. Our taxes can differ from state to state and from city to city. Forcing businesses to include the tax in the original prices can make customers feel as though the business is overcharging. Especially if they can get the bottle of Coke for $1 sticker price at the Walmart in Palm City, but have to pay $1.30 sticker price for the same Coke at the Walmart in Evergreen City which is right next door. It doubt folks would realize, oh the price is higher b/c the taxes are higher here and obviously, the stores aren't keeping the tax. I think it's fab if it works for you all though.

Hmmm...has this thread turned into another, "The United States sucks b/c...."

no, its interesting to see how things work over there.

oh the sticker says $1 but you have to pay $1.30 ?
How stupid is that ? why don't they just put a $1.30 sticker so to prevent disagreements between customers and sellers?

 

[Alpha1851]

So reading this thread do I tip because I want

A: To reward and ensure good service?

B: To make up their wages because their employers are too mean?

C: To ensure I don't get something nasty in my food?

D. All of the above.

 

[Telstra]

So reading this thread do I tip because I want

A: To reward and ensure good service?

B: To make up their wages because their employers are too mean?

C: To ensure I don't get something nasty in my food?

C: to ensure no nasty stuff in my food.

good service should be compulsory anyway in a servicing industry.
Wages is the responsibilty of the employer.

By the way, how do you ensure no nasty stuff in your food if the tip always occur when you are about to leave ?